1. Field of the Invention
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/988,652 filed on May 5, 2014, which is included herein in its entirety by this reference thereto.
The present invention relates to an improved device for the illumination of toilets. More particularly, it relates to a device which is operatively engageable with the underside of a toilet seat to thereafter provide illumination in dark environments while concurrently preserving the night vision of users. The device facilitates the location and use of toilets in dark environments while saving energy and allowing a user to easily return to sleep having not encountered bright lighting known to interrupt sleep patterns.
2. Prior Art
Due to the inevitability of occasionally awakening during the night to use the restroom, visits to the toilet in dark and poorly lit environments continue as a common occurrence in the United States and throughout the world. Currently, to avoid stumbling and tripping over unseen objects, individuals may turn on their main bathroom light fixtures to use the restroom in the middle of the night. This sudden bright light can be extremely disorienting, can cause subsequent sight returning to a darkened room to be impaired, and as has been indicated, such bright light can have a brain reaction and cause unnecessary difficulty in returning to sleep.
In addition to the potentially painful and temporarily blinding experience resulting from the use of main bathroom light fixtures, is the potential difficulty of locating and operating the manual switch required to turn on the light fixture in a semi-conscious, fatigued state under unfavorable visual conditions. This searching in the dark can create a potential hazard for those who may also be in a rush to relieve themselves and return to bed.
There exists in prior art numerous attempts at circumventing these obstacles that hinder a users ability to locate and use toilets in low ambient light situations. One such example is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,288 (Borne) where a toilet seat is configured at manufacture to serve as a night light. In Borne, a lamp is used to illuminate a LUCITE rod cast permanently within a seat's center until the seat is lifted, whereupon the lamp is deactivated. While this solution allows an individual to locate the toilet in the dark, it is only usable with new construction or the replacement of an existing toilet seat and appears inadequate for male use due to the system deactivation upon elevating the seat.
The Borne system also appears to have shortcomings in the cost and installation requirements as most homeowners, renters or toilet users would rather not dispose of a working seat and purchase a new one which requires integrated LUCITE and lamp components that potentially require high voltage AC current for use. Further, the ongoing running of an electrical transformer and employment of resistance based light bulbs are not energy efficient as a 12 volt bulb and continually running transformer use significant amounts of electrical energy over a yearly period.
A similar solution to the problem of using the restroom in the dark hours of the night is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,209. In this invention, lights are held under the toilet bowl rim with obtrusive clips and wiring. While this solution provides toilet illumination as required, it also places components in a more obstructive location. Often, water that fills the bowl of a toilet, enters in the area where the light elements reside, and the area is inherently more dirty than the underside of the seat, as it is closer to the fluid in the bowl. This location and the need to clean more frequently in conjunction with the obtrusive appearance and structure is a serious shortcoming.
Additional prior art is included in U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,178 (Picon) which teaches an engageable light. In Picon a powered light source is attached to the toilet and may be switched on by a raising of the seat, or for a person not needing to raise the seat for a bathroom visit, the switch may be activated by hand. A user attempting to locate a still darkened toilet and operating a switch in the dark, is a difficult task for disoriented or fatigued individuals, and as such the Picon device is not well adapted for use in many occasions.
As such, there is a continuing and unmet need for improvement in devices employed in the field of toilet illumination. In particular, there continues a need for an easily installed and highly unobtrusive and gently illuminating device which may be located and uses in restroom facilities in low ambient light environments. Such a device should possess a self-contained power source not requiring AC current, an illuminating means of low power consumption, a secure method to mate the device to the underside of toilet seat such as adhesive or clamping mechanisms, and, an automatic activation feature which causes it to illuminate in low light environments upon user entry to the room. Still further, such a device should have a compact and fluid resistant housing to protect internal components in the potentially wet environment in which it will operate.
The forgoing examples of related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive, and they do not imply any limitations on the invention described and claimed herein. Various other limitations of the related art are known or will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of the specification below and the accompanying drawings.